Teaching Physics Students to Innovate

物理学(13)劳伦斯大学物理系认识到，美国工作场所需要更多的创新，以遏制目前美国在全球竞争力的下滑，正在研究如何将创新教学作为本科物理课程的一部分。目前正在制定一种四步法，将在两种学习环境中实施：暑期研究参与和两个学年、实验室丰富的课程。教学步骤包括：1)向学生介绍创新，2)选择创新目标，3)将想法付诸行动，4)测试和修改。凭借劳伦斯目前可用的专业知识和设备，创新的工作重点是光学和等离子体物理领域。随着项目的进展，将编写和传播课程材料、实验室指导集、选定的观察结果和可能的视频。

Physics(13) The Department of Physics at Lawrence University, recognizing a need for greater innovation in the American workplace to arrest the current slippage in U.S. competitiveness worldwide, is investigating how to teach innovation as part of the undergraduate physics curriculum. A four-step methodology is being developed that will be implemented in two learning settings: summer research participation and two academic-year, laboratory-rich courses. The instructional steps include: 1) introducing students to innovation, 2) choosing targets for innovation, 3) moving ideas into action, and 4) testing and revising. With the expertise and equipment currently available at Lawrence, innovative work is focusing on the areas of optics and plasma physics. As the project progresses, course materials, laboratory instruction sets, selected observations and possible videos are to be developed and disseminated.